


The Man with the Metal Arm

by metal_arm_blues



Series: The Man with the Metal Arm [6]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, Winter Soldier (Comics)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-17
Updated: 2019-09-17
Packaged: 2020-10-20 07:04:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,179
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20671271
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/metal_arm_blues/pseuds/metal_arm_blues
Summary: Sixth Installment





	The Man with the Metal Arm

**Author's Note:**

> Bucky's POV

I hate it when I'm right...

Not more than five minutes go by before I hear my neighbors' television begin to emit an annoying tone, which I knew all too well was the sound of some breaking news. There was one good thing about this awful apartment, I was able to keep up with current events, albeit through thin walls. However, this time I heard my name being said along with something about a bombing that happened on the other side of the world, and it was just a few hours ago. I furrowed my brow and stood there in thought, when I heard the sound of footsteps upon the roof above me. I had no upstairs neighbors... I didn't think twice; I knelt down and then punched my metal fist through the floor board and yanked out my bag of emergency supplies. I heard movement coming from behind the front door, whoever had come for me were not exactly being quiet about it. Shouldering the backpack, I then moved to the balcony door, peered out to see that this way was clear and then quickly opened the door and hopped up onto the railing and down onto the neighboring roof. From there, I ran.

I ran wherever my legs were leading me to, which ended up being straight to (Y/N's) apartment. It wasn't a good idea, going there, but really...I had nowhere else. I had no one else. I stood outside her door, the turmoil of what I ought to do was ripping me apart inside. I slowly reached forward, my hand forming a fist, and then after a moment's hesitation, I knocked gently upon the door. Looking up and down the hallway, my feet were about to make the choice to keep running for me, until I heard the door unlock and her gaze met mine. Immediately the regret I had been feeling began to pour out of me, I bit my bottom lip as I looked down at her, into her eyes and then I swallowed hard.

"I'm sorry, I didn't know where else to go..."

Suddenly she took my arm and pulled me through the door, shutting it behind me and then locking it. I stood there rooted to the ground as she then went over to her windows and pulled he curtains shut from prying eyes and then she turned back to me. I could not wrap my head around this, why she was helping someone like me, a man she barely knew who was now currently being blamed for a terrible crime. I watched her silently as she came back over to me and took my hand, guiding me over to the couch where she had me sit down upon it. My eyes glanced over to the television, where my name and face were flashing across it as they talked about Vienna and my current whereabouts. My apartment then showed up on the screen, helicopters hovering over it as federal agents combed every inch of the building in search for me. Y/N reached for the remote and turned off the tv, her attention turning to me as she sat down next to me. All kinds of thoughts were currently running through my mind as I sat there, but I could not deny the fact that looking at her was making me feel more calm. 

"They found my apartment, now it's being watched. I...I don't know what to do now. Someone's setting me up for this, but I can't think of who would be doing it."

The sound of sirens going by caused us both to freeze, our breath hitched in our chests until they slowly diminished. They were clearly searching for me all over the city now, I knew that I had to leave, for Y/N and Oliver's sake. I stood up from the couch and shook my head.

"I shouldn't have come here, you and your son don't need to be brought into any of this."

She stood up in front of me, her arms crossed over her chest as her intense gaze kept me standing where I was. When she told me to shut up and sit down, my eyes widened a bit, but I eventually did as I was told. Clearly she was not about to let me leave. I watched her as she made her way to the kitchen, where she asked if I wanted any coffee and slowly I nodded my head. Perhaps if she was distracted enough, I could make a break for the door and be out of there before she could do or say anything. She and her son would be safer this way. My feet moved slightly, prepping for my quick escape when my eyes settled upon Y/N as she moved around the kitchen. I couldn't help watching her, the way her delicate hands moved to pour the coffee, the way her hair fell across her face as it tried to fall down from the rest of it that was pulled back in a messy bun. Something was keeping me from moving, and I as unsure what it could be. She walked back over to me with two cups of coffee in hand, plus some creamer and sugar. I took the cup she offered me and held it upon my lap, staring down at my reflection within the dark liquid. I almost didn't hear her when she asked what the plan was, it were as if her voice was muffled as she spoke, until I blinked a few times and my eyes lifted to meet hers. 

"What do you mean?"

She reached over and turned the television back on, my eyes looked at the screen as the talk continued to be about me. She changed channel after channel, it was all about me. That clinched it, there was no way I could hide without any help, the entire world was going to be on the look out for me now. I sighed, setting the cup down upon the table and then rubbed my face with my hands. I listened to Y/N as she said that she was my alibi, which in truth, she was. I had been here with her and her son when this attack happened. 

"Even if I am caught, they aren't going to take your word for it. My record is too dark with all that I have done over the past fifty years... Whoever framed me, clearly has plans for me."

We sat in silence for a few minutes after that, until her eyes darted to the clock and we were both aware of just how late it had gotten. I pursed my lips together and then looked at her as she said that it would do no good to dwell on what to do tonight, that we needed some rest. I opened my mouth to object but she held up her hand to shush me before heading to a closet in the hall and coming back with some sheets and a pillow for the couch. She told me to get some sleep while I could, and hopefully Oliver wouldn't wake me. This made me smirk. Honestly, having the sound of a kid making noise waking me up was not the worst thing. Try being woken up by the sounds of gunfire or explosions...screams. I took the sheets and pillow from her and as she said goodnight, I nodded my head, giving a weak smile. Words would not form as I looked at her, I was filled with too many emotions. Gratitude was one, but there was also a great deal of fear and hopelessness. I watched as she headed to her room and shut the door and I sighed heavily, looking down at the couch and then at the sheets. Someone doing something so nice for me like this was completely foreign to me, yet I had made up my mind that after getting a bit of rest, I would sneak out and make sure none of this was traced back to this innocent little family.

I pulled the sheets across the couch, making sure they fit decently so that there would not be any lumps that I ended up lying upon and then I fluffed the pillow a bit before I stood there and began to pull off my shirt. It was a tad on the dirty side, with all the sweat and grime I acquired on my run from the government tonight. Despite my shirt being dirty, I folded it and set it off to the side of the couch, just upon the floor, but out of the way of being tripped over. I had taken off my shoes, and had set them over by the front door, where I found a pair of Y/N's and even some small blue ones with Captain America's shield upon them. I smirked as I looked down at them and then headed back to the couch where I stretched my arms over head until I felt the pop in my back that left me giving out a relieved sigh. I gazed down at the couch as I stood there, thinking how it looked like it was going to be much comfier than my bed back home, when I got the familiar feeling of being watched. Thankfully the feeling wasn't one that made me feel threatened, and I turned around to find Y/N standing there staring at me, some folded clothing in her hands. My eyes met hers and that was when I noticed her face was growing slightly red, and this lead me to the conclusion that she had been looking at my now naked torso. She walked up to me with the clothes and held them out, I started to reach for them but then stopped when she said that they had belonged to her late husband. I shook my head as I looked at her.

"I can't accept these, they must mean so much to you."

She gave a weak smile and a light chuckle, shrugging her shoulders as she looked at me, cheeks still red as she did her best not to look anywhere but into my eyes as I stood before her. I'm not sure why, but the fact that me being shirtless was making her blush made a sense of pride swell within me, along with something I haven't felt in quite a while. Y/N told me that she did not need these clothes to remember Thomas by, that she was planning on donating them but just never got around to it. This was the first time she had told me what her husband's name was and this caused me to look her in the eyes, to search for a sign that giving me these clothes was not something she would regret. I finally reached for the clothes, my hand finding hers in the process and brushed against it lightly. Her hand was so smooth, so warm, while mine was rough and probably quite unpleasant to the touch. I suddenly had a thought of what it would feel like if her soft hands were upon my face, or even against my chest. I cleared my throat, pushing these thoughts from my mind as I took the clothes and held them before me, glancing down at them before looking back up at her and thanking her. She told me to feel free to wash any of the clothes that I had with me in my bag if they needed washing, as well as helping myself to a shower and freshening up. That sounded like something I could really use, since I was covered in dried sweat and dirt at the moment. 

"I don't know how to thank you again, you've done so much for me, more than anyone has done in a long, long time."

As I looked back at the couch after she told me about its comfort, I happened to catch her glimpse down at my chest and even noticed that she involuntarily bit her bottom lip when she did so. I couldn't help but smirk at this, and as she turned to head back to her room, I also could not help but to watch her body move as it walked away. She was wearing sleep shorts that were, well extremely short now that I noticed it, and her hips swayed gently as she walked and as much as I tried, my eyes would not look away. After hearing her door shut, I waited a few moments before heading down the hall to where she had told me the bathroom was and I walked in, shutting the door behind me. It took me a moment to figure out how to turn on the water, and finally I managed to get it to the temperature I was comfortable with. I shed the remainder of my clothes and then climbed in, sighing as the water made contact with my skin and washed away what felt like all my troubles. Before I had hoped into the shower, I managed to find a bar of soap in a drawer under the sink that had a neutral smell to it. This was a good call on my part, the only other form of soap was orchid and jasmine scented body wash which I felt that I would never be able to pull off, unlike Y/N.

\----

I awoke with a start, finding myself lying upon Y/N's couch. Sunlight was filtering through the crack between the curtains, its aim true as it hit me in the eye. I rubbed my face with my hands as I slowly sat up and moved my feet to the floor. Well, so much for making a run through it during the night. Apparently this couch was more comfortable than I expected and I actually got a restful nights' sleep for once. My eyes moved over to Y/N's door, which was still closed and I decided that now was as good a time as any. I hurriedly dressed myself in the clothes she gave to me, finding that they fit pretty well, except the pants were a tad short on me. I must be taller than Thomas had been. I quickly stuffed my other clothes into my bag and then looked in the kitchen for a piece of paper and pen and began to write a note, once again thanking her for her help. I left it upon the coffee table in front of the couch and then as I began to head toward the front door, I froze as hers flew open and she stood there with a hand on her hip as she looked up at me. 

"Where do you think you're going?"

"I...I..."

I was at a loss of words, I had been as quiet as a mouse, I was trained to be an assasin after all. Yet somehow she caught me. I was about to tell her that I was going to leave, to keep her and Oliver safe when the sound of him babbling caught our attention. She moved passed me, opening his nursery door to reveal hin standing within his crib, bouncing up and down. He caught sight of me and immediately began grinning.

"Bucky! Bucky! Bucky!"

Y/N picked him up, proceeded to change his diaper and then set him upon the floor as she disposed of the dirty diaper and began to pick out some clothes for him to wear. Before I could even think of moving to the door, Oliver ran out of his room and up to my leg, cling to it and then reached up to me, looking at me with big hazel eyes. 

"Up up up!"

I let out a soft sigh and then knelt down, dropping my bag to the floor and taking hold of him under his arms, lifting him up with me as I stood. He giggled and wrapped his arms around my neck in a hug and something within me broke. I could not explain it, I have never felt such warmth and welcoming and here I was getting it from a one year old little boy. I closed my eyes for a moment, giving him a gentle hug back when I heard the sound of someone clearing their throat and my eyes snapped open to meet hers. She was smirking at me as she watched us and then gestured to the kitchen.

"Mind putting him in his high chair for me? I will get a quick breakfast started. I've something to run by you."

I moved with Oliver in my arms over to his chair and gently set him down in it, then did my best to strap him in despite his wiggling. I then took one last glance at the front door before moving over to Y/N's side as she began to set out pancake mix. 

"As thankful as I am for it...why are you still wanting to help me? The entire world is going to be on the look out for me, it's not safe. For either of you."

Y/N glanced at me as she sprayed a skillet before setting it aside and beginning work on making the pancake mix. 

"Like it or not, I'm emotionally invested. I can't stand by and watch someone's life fall apart around them. Not if I can help them in some way."

I sighed and then moved over to Oliver who had begun to fuss now that he was stuck in his chair, I held out my hand to him and he slapped his hand against it for a high five and he giggled, continuing to slap my open hand repeatedly. Y/N continued to talk as she poured the mix into the pan and began to cook the pancakes and I glanced over at her as she spoke. She was talking about an idea she had last night when she opened some of her mail, receiving an invitation to a wedding back home where she grew up. I turned to look at her fully, though Oliver still wanted to smack my hand, so I let him. I quirked an eyebrow at her, wondering where she was going with this idea of hers until she came over to me and looked up into my eyes. The town she lived in was small, so small in fact that most likely none of them were taking the whole James Buchanan Barnes thing seriously. It was a town of 170 and was basically miles from any decently large city.

"Where is this town of yours?"

Halfway, Missouri. I stared at her quietly for a moment and then when Oliver had had his fill of slapping my hand, I moved to the table and sat down, continuing to look at her. I asked what she had planned and as the idea came out, I couldn't help but think that this might work, at least for a time.


End file.
